Facebook Los Angeles-based comedian Richard Bain died on May 25, 2020.
Popular comedian Richard “Dick” Bain died on Memorial Day, as first reported by The Comedy Bureau. He was 37.
Bain started out doing stand up in North Carolina before moving to Portland, Oregon. In 2011, he relocated to Los Angeles, California, to focus on his stand-up career.
The Comedy Bureau wrote a moving message in honor of the once up-and-coming performer on their website:
Today, comedy lost a truly, unabashedly, unique voice in one Richard Bain. Bain’s relentless commitment to being silly made him stand out in any room he played. His unshakeable calm juxtaposed with how utterly zany he could get was something we’d look forward to any time he took the stage or was even just hanging in the green room/wings/bar/party/etc. Bain was just a delightful constant in and around comedy.
A cause of death was not immediately revealed. Adrienne Airheart, a friend of Bain’s who called him the “funniest, sweetest, weirdest, most fun-loving, outrageous, saddest, depressed, self-loathing, funniest again, under-appreciated, God-given talented” man, implied on Instagram that he died by suicide.
According to his IMDb page, Bain appeared in movies such as Betamax in 2015, The Unquenchable Thirst for Beau Nerjoose in 2016 and guest-starred on the TV series Fagabond in 2018. He performed on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, at Portland’s Bridgetown Comedy Festival and at LA’s Riot Comedy Festival.
Bain would’ve celebrated his 38th birthday on July 20. A vigil in Bain’s memory will be held at Akbar in Los Angeles on Monday night. The “safe gathering” encourages those wanting to attend to bring “whatever makes sense: candles, flowers, flasks, etc.”
In 2014, Bain Held a Fundraiser For His Sister Who Lost Her Son & Home In a Tornado
Six years ago Bain started a Fundly campaign to raise money for his sister Ashley, whose son Gavin died after her home was destroyed by a tornado in North Carolina. Bain said, “The roof collapsed on her and her one-year-old son, Gavin. He was in a medically induced coma, but passed this morning.”
The Community Blog wrote, “While the money raised will never replace her infant son, it can at least help her rebuild her home so that she can focus on her grieving. Our hearts go out to Richard, his sister, and the Bain family. It’s hard to imagine what they’re going through right now.”
Heartfelt Tributes To Bain From Fellow Comedians & Fans Were Shared On Social Media
Bain was a regular stand-up performer at comedy clubs around Los Angeles and his death left many fellow comedians and fans devastated. Ian Karmel, head writer for CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden, tweeted, “It sucks so bad that Richard Bain is gone. When I first started comedy, he was already around Portland, and the kindness he possessed off stage was as life-affirming as his bravery on stage. Every time he performed he was existing for that moment.”
Actor Solomon Georgio tweeted, “Richard Bain was a problematic little sh** but he was my problematic little sh**. I’m heartbroken that I’ll never get to turn around and tell my best friend to stop it. I’m just heartbroken. I always said he would live longer than all of us and I hate being a liar.”
Richard Bain was so deeply funny and good. What a loss.
Richard Bain was the sweetest and funniest comedy human. He will be so very missed. <333
Richard Bain was one of the kindest funniest people I’ve ever know and I loved him. He was pure, loving, brilliant…he was greatness.
Richard Bain was everything I love in a comic. spontaneous, energetic, bold, smart but not afraid to be dumb, warm and kind with a little bit of the devil inside, and above all, human. I’ll miss seeing him around. he was one of a kind. RIP 💓
One Twitter member wrote, “When I was 17 years old, I competed in a comedy contest at Flappers and Richard Bain killed on such an insane level. I distinctly remember thinking, ‘This is the funniest man I’ve ever seen.’ It’s a set my parents will still being up to this day. Seven minutes. 9 years ago.”
Comedian Andrew Sleighter tweeted, “RIP Richard Bain. @heidahay and I had countless discussions on how it was possible he wasn’t extremely famous. Just so, so funny.”
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